Crossflow radiator



Oct. 22, 1968 I A KREUL ET AL 3,406,751

CROS SFLOW RADIATOR Filed June 30, 1967 INVENTORSZ ALVIN L. KREUL DONALD L. SPAUDIN ATT'Y United States Patent "ice 3,406,751 1 CROSSFLOW RADIATOR I Alvin L. Kreuland Donald L. Spaulding Racine, Wis., assignors to Young Radiator Company, Racine, Wis. Filed June 30, 19,67, Ser. No. 650,407

4 Claims. (Cl. 165-151) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The essential concept of this inventioninvolves the.

This invention relates to a crossflow type of heat-dis pensing radiator structured for use with a heat engine powering a particular type of equipment.

' Over the span of years, during' which Water-coolant radiators have been used with heat engines, the radiators generally have been designated as vertical-flow radia tors. This, for the reason that abattery of finned water tubes is disposed vertically between upper and lower tanks. In such structures the water-filling spout is located in the upper tank. Such a liquid-fill spout includes a drain pipe and a pressure-control cap, to permit the escape of vapor-pressures, within the radiator, above a certain optimum. V

Of recent years the structuring of certain types of motor vehicle has taken on such a form as to require the provision of a crossflow radiator. As such a designation indicates, the battery of finned water tubes is arranged horizontally between vertically-disposed, horizontally-spaced tanks. Obviously, the pressure-controlledfiller-spout had to be located at'the upper end of one of these vertical tanks. To date 'it has been believed imperative to locate such a pressure-controlling capped spout in the outlet tank.

The background of this particular development related to a demand, from a manufacturer of compact, motordriven lift-trucks, for a water-cooled heat-engine to replace the air-cooled'engine then commonly in use with such type of equipment. Such lift-trucks, used for the vertical stacking of products for storage and/or shipment, are very compact structures with a comparatively small space for an engine. Because of such extremely-limited space, consideration had to be given to the then recentlydevelopedtype of crossflow radiator. However, the situation for this particular manufacture indicated possible benefits if the conventional pressure-control fill-spout, required for water-cooled radiators, could be located in the vertically-disposed inlet tank rather than the thencurrent location of that spout in the outlet tank of the radiator.

In the initial structured attempts, to confirm these indicated possible benefits, unexpected problems developed. The primary problems were the aeration of the coolant and the build-up of pressures on the inlet tank forcing water out through the pressure-controlled coolant-inlet spout. Such loss of water may cause over-heating of the system. Improvised tests ultimately made apparent the requirement for a special formation of the inlet tank.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to provide an improved structuring of a crossflow radiator wherein it is possible to use the conventional vapor-escape- 3,406,751 Patented Oct. 22, 19 68 control cap on the coolant-fill spout of the inlet tank; to

1 provide a crossflow radiator of this kind wherein the in let tank is so dimensioned and provided with a baffle and so formed and positioned as to permit locating the vaporescape control cap thereon; to provide a crossflow radiator of this kind especially adapted for placement in a small space between the engine mad the opposed wall of the engine housing; and to provide a crossflow radiator of this type which makes very economical its manufacturing and marketing, most facile its positioning in place within the engine housing, and highly gratifying its use to the purchasers thereof.

In the adaptation shown in the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a special type of mobile lift-truck for use with which this engine-cooling crossflow radiator had to be designed and structured;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of this improved type of crossflow radiator;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the same, taken on the plane of the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partly broken away, portion of the radiator inlet tank, as shown in the circle A of FIG. 2; and

FIG.- 5 is an enlarged, perspective view of the imperative 'baflle in the upper portion of the inlet tank.

A lift-truck 6, of the type for which this crossflow radiator had to be designed and structured, is shown in FIG. 1. A rigid supporting frame 7 is supported on wheels 8 and mounts a fairly-high-power heat engine (not indicated) for movement of the truck from place to place and effecting the raising and lowering of ,the fork mechanism 9. A housing 10 encloses the engine and provides a comparatively small space between the lefthand side wall (viewed from the operators position) and the engine. It was for use in such a small space that this crossflow radiator was conceived and constructed.

The hereinshown crossflow radiator 11 of FIG. 1, embodying the foregoing concept, comprises a battery of plates 13 and 14 and whereto are secured the tanks 15 and 16, the former of which has an integrated extension 17 disposed above the battery of tubes 12 and wherein is incorporated an all-important bafile 18. The tubes mount series of transverse fins between the header plates 13 and 14. The form and assembled arrangement of the tubes 12 on the header plates 13 and 14 are more or less conventional for heat exchanger structures for use with various kinds of motor-vehicle engines.

However, the-re is a modification in this structure in that one of the upper row 12 of crossflow tubes 12 is dead. That one row of tubes terminates slightly short of the header plates 13, 14, as shown within the circle A of FIG. 2. This row of tubes 12' would be those aligned with the lower-end flange of the presently-described baffle 18. Obviously, that would mean that the header plates would have no rows of tube openings opposed to that row of dead tubes 12.

The critically-important features of this development are, the extension 17 of the header plate 13 and the tank 15 above the upper row 19 of the tubes 12, the mounting of a conventional coolant-fill spout 21 with its pressurecontrol cap 22 on the top of the extension 17, and the provision of the internal bafile plate 18. Although not imperative, this extension 17 here is shown to be about one-fourth the height of the radiator 11.

The baflle plate 18 is shown clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5. This comprises two angularly-disposed sections 23 and 24 with the respective pairs of lateral side flanges 25 and 26 and end flanges 27 and 28 and a row of small-dimension apertures 29 located in the section 23 adjacently inward from the flange 27. As will be noted best from FIG. 4,

the baflle plate 18 is positioned with the major portion thereof well above the uppermost row 19 of the tubes 12 of the radiator 11. The respective flanges 25 and 26 and 27 permit bonding of the baffle plate 18 to the walls of the extension 17 with the exposed edge of the flange 28 in firm contact with the inner face of the header plate 13 in opposition to the row of dead tubes 12'. The apertures 29 are shown here as four in number and, of rather small diameters.

A conventional drain pipe 31 is fixed to the coolant-fill port 21 and extends downwardly exteriorly along the tank 15 to a point below the bottom thereof.

Such a structured crossflow radiator 11, is set in the narrow space between the engine housing and the engine, as shown by the dotted outline of FIG. 1.

A usual type of small pump (not shown) is set within this housing 10 and connected to the radiator and the engine, in the usual manner.

When the radiator 11 is to be filled with the coolant liquid-usually water--the pressure-control cap 22 is removed. The entering coolaut striking the bafile plate is directed into the row of tubes 12 above the row of dead tubes 12. The coolant flows across to the tank 16 and gradually back to the tank through the tubes below the bafile plate 18 until the radiator 11 is full to a point below the bafiie plate section 23.

In operation, the suction of the pump (not shown) at the outlet 33 of the tank 16, is such that there is a normal draught on the coolant through the tubes 12 below the row of dead tubes 12' for return to the port 32 in the inlet tank 15. In the event the flow of coolant accumulates any air bubbles in the inlet tank 15 they will tend to rise toward the top of the tank. This will permit the escape of air through the bafiie apertures 29 into the tank extension 17. From here such air accumulation can bleed out through the drain pipe 31.

No air or coolant will be removed through the drain pipe 31 unless the pressure in the cooling system, including the space in extension 17 above the baffle, is great enough to cause the pressure-control cap 22 to open; then air and coolant will flow out drain pipe 31. This excessive pressure could be caused by an unusually high temperature of the coolant caused by engine overheating, or by a fill of the cooling system with too much coolant.

If the accumulation of both coolant and air in the space in the extension 17 for some unusual reason created an excessive pressure in the space of the extension 17, the pressure-control cap 22 would retract to the point of permitting escape of air and possibly coolant from the space of extension 17.

Variations and modifications in the details of structure and arrangement of parts may be resorted to within the spirit and coverage of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A crossflow radiator for use with a heat-engine comprising, coolant-inlet and -outlet tanks disposed vertically and fixed on a pair of he'aders,a battery of horizontallydisposed finned tubes supported between the headers for the flow of an engine coolant between the tanks,' the outlet tank being substantially the same height as the battery of tubes and having a coolant-flow outlet adjacent the lower end thereof, the inlet tank having an extension above the upper row of tubes and having a coolant-flow inlet therein above the upper row of tubes, at coolant-fill spout on the inlet tank above the coolant-flow inlet, a pressureactuated air-vent cap fixed on the inlet-tank extension above the coolant-flow inlet for releasing excessive pressures within the coolant-inlet tank, and a baffle-plate fixed in contact with the inner walls of the inlet tank with a portion of the bafile-plate disposed transversely above the coolant-flow inlet and with a depending portion of the bafile-plate extending downwardly and in contact with the opposed header plate below an upper row of tubes.

2. A crossflow radiator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bafiie-plate has orifices in an upper portion for the escape of air accumulating in the coolant.

3. A crossflow radiator as set forth in claim 2 wherein the depending portion of the baffle plate contacts the header plate in alignment with a row of tubes that are closed to the flow of coolant.

4. A crossflow radiator as set forth in claim 2 wherein the baffle plate is formed with angularly-disposed sections having narrow flanges along the lateral edges and along the opposite ends of the respective angled sections, the bafile-plate being positioned in the inlet-tank extension by the lateral flanges being bonded to. the side walls of the inlet tank and the upper end flange to the outer wall of the tank, and with the lower end flange in fluid-tight contact with the header plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,674,689 6/1928 Muir 123-4l.08 2,117,040 5/ 1938 Schjulin 18054 3,228,381 1/1966 Stefan 12341.08 3,248,691 4/1966 La Porte et al -151 3,275,070 9/1966 Betanbough et a1. 165-111 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

T. W. STR-EULE, Assistant Examiner. 

